Story Highlights

Twitter and Facebook crackled Wednesday with jubilant reaction to the Supreme Court decisions knocking down the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8.

From elected officials to ordinary Americans across the country, people used social media to hail the decision, declare they were headed out to celebrate with others and announce places and times of celebrations.

Many described outdoor celebrations, signs and horn-honking in the Castro, a San Francisco neighborhood with a large gay population. One Facebook page announced a gathering Wednesday evening at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, the gay bar famous for riots in 1969 when customers protested police harassment. "Party!" posted James Sedlock when he sent his RSVP. "I have my red dress all picked out. Can't wait!" Linda Fingerson posted.

By 4 p.m. ET, there had been about 650,000 tweets about the Supreme Court decisions, said Elizabeth Breese, senior content and digital marketing strategist at Crimson Hexagon, a social media analytics company in Boston.

"The majority of the conversation overall is just expressing happiness and this idea that friends, families, neighbors will be able to get married," Breese said.

Some tweets expressed pride in the country and the Supreme Court for the decision, she said. About 95% were positive, she said, but she noted that political tweets tend not to reflect the sentiment of the country.

Actor George Takei, known not only for playing Lt. Hikaru Sulu on TV's Star Trek but also as an outspoken advocate for gay rights, posted on his Facebook page, "I have lived nearly four score years, and have borne witness to both the heartbreak and promise of true justice and equality in America. Today my heart soars, and my faith in the promise of our great nation is renewed."

Obama, through his official Twitter handle @BarackObama, tweeted, " Today's DOMA ruling is a historic step forward for #MarriageEquality#LoveIsLove." As of shortly after 1 p.m. ET, that message had been retweeted more than 58,000 times.